First US reviews of Chris Lilley's <i>Angry Boys</i>

The controversial mockumentary series is finally getting its debut in the US on HBO on New Year's Day, and the first reviews are just as mixed as they were when the show aired earlier this year in Oz.

Bloomberg's Greg Evans gave an all-out endorsement for the "risky" show:

"While American sitcoms like The Office and Modern Family shoehorn feel-good sentimentality into their weekly formulas, Lilley does something more extraordinary. His angry boys and demanding girls grow, week by week and joke by joke, into people you’ll miss when it’s all over."

He added that viewers should "hang tough through the homophobic slurs, racist epithets and crude jokes".

Media Life's Tim Conroy wasn't so impressed. While he said Lilley does a "fine job playing six different characters", he complains that the "scripts settle for easy shock value, followed by sticky patches of sentimentality. Viewers may appreciate the effort, but they won't be entertained or amused…". Ouch!

Hitfix's Daniel Fienberg agreed in his podcast, calling it "not funny enough or smart enough to be worth it. Summer Heights High was a little broader … there's a serious undercurrent that intrigues me but I don't know if it works…".

Lilley's Summer Heights High received rave reviews and garnered a cult following when it screened on HBO in 2008. Only time will tell if Angry Boys gets the same kind of buzz.